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What To Do With An Abandoned Vending Machine On Your Property

Some time ago, you or a previous manager signed up for vending machine services at your property. Things were great for a while, and your staff, customers, or residents had a convenient way to purchase drinks and snacks.

But at some point, the vending company stopped servicing the machine. It sat empty for a few days, then a week, and eventually months.

Although rare, vending machines are sometimes abandoned at a location. The usual reason is because the company went out of business. That doesn't, however, mean that your property is a storage facility.

So what do you do?

As a vending management company, we come across this issue every now and then. Fortunately for our customers, they don't have to deal with the problem. We handle it for them, and here are the steps we take when faced with an abandoned vending machine.

How To Remove An Abandoned Vending Machine From Your Property

Step 1: Check the machine for contact information

The first step to getting rid of an abandoned vending machine is to contact the last known supplier to service it. If you don't know who that is, check the equipment for their contact information. It's typically on a sticker above the coin and dollar bill mechanisms. If there is no information, proceed to step two.

NOTE: If it's a Coke or Pepsi machine, look on the side of it for the machine information. There should be a serial number and an outlet number (for a Coke machine) or an asset number (for a Pepsi machine). Contact your local Coke or Pepsi vending sales center with this information and ask to speak with the full-service supervisor. This is the person in charge of scheduling service on the vending machines in their territory.

Step 2: Place a note on the machine

If Coke or Pepsi confirms that it's not their equipment, the next step would be to put a notice on the machine for 30 days that asks the supplier to remove it or speak with someone in management. During this time, try reaching out to another vending company near you to see if they have any information that would help. (They might even offer to begin servicing the equipment.)

Step 3: Send a certified letter

Once 30 days has passed and no one has contacted you, send a certified letter to the last known supplier to service the equipment. Explain that you will have the vending machine hauled away if it's not removed by a certain date, typically within another 30 days.

Step 4: Send one last notice

After this time frame is up, send one more notice that the machine will be hauled away.

Step 5: Hire a hauling company

Contact a local hauling company to pick up the machine and dispose of it. The cost for this is usually around $100.

It's frustrating to have an empty vending machine sitting around on your property, and even more so when you don't know who to contact about it. If you have to take the measures listed above, just be sure to keep all documentation of any attempt to contact the supplier about removing the vending machine. That means letters, emails, and phone calls. If time is of the essence, shorten the length of time for providing notice, but do try to provide at least two weeks.